Should the Tri-State Worry About a ‘Murder Hornet’ Invasion?

Because 2020 hasn't been quite awesome enough yet, now we have another reason to stay inside. In addition to the coronavirus, we now have to worry about a winged messenger of death known as the "Murder Hornet."

No, Murder Hornets is not the name of some cheesy horror movie from back in the day. Sadly, murder hornets are a real thing, and they are now in the United States. They're actually called Asian Giant Hornets, which apparently didn't sound scary enough to scientists, who decided to give them the cute nickname "Murder Hornets." Neat!

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Here are a few nightmarish facts about our new friends from Asia (thanks to the Washington State Department of Agriculture). These doggone things are usually about 2 inches long, making them the biggest species of hornet in the world. They like to hang out underground, so you can't even see them! Apparently these murder hornets like to target honeybees. They attack the hive, kill all the bees and then just basically move in and call dibs on the hive. In fact, they go into a "slaughter phase" where they decapitate the bees. They have big ol' stingers that can puncture a beekeepers suit and their venom is more toxic than what we're used to. Oh yeah, they can also sting you several dies without dying.

Is there any good news? Yes there is, kinda. The good news is that Murder Hornets 'generally' don't attack people or pets, unless they feel threatened. The other good news is that they are NOT in the Tri-State. Right now they are just wreaking havoc on the northwest portion of the country. But, keep in mind, they made it to the states from Asia, so they could probably handle a little cross-country trip. So, I'd say for the time being, the Murder Hornet should be way way down on the list of things for us to lose sleep over. Lord knows there are plenty of other things to take its place.